Shed Modern Home on a Private Lake

The word “revolution” defines the 1960s. Change was the norm as the envelope was being pushed in every creative arena, and that included architecture. Our Monday Morning Millionaire is a shed modern home at 9109 Clearlake Drive that is a perfect example of that architectural revolution.
The shed design is attributed to the extraordinary teachings and works of architects Charles Willard Moore and Robert Venturi. Venturi refers to the “unorthodox architect” in his book Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture. He proposed using conventional methods to create the unconventional and giving uncommon meaning to common materials, and the architectural revolution quietly began.

Shed modern homes were a bold departure from the norm and ahead of their time. As the nation faced the first energy crisis in the 1970s, many of these homes used the same passive solar elements we see today.

Shed style is most easily identified by a boxlike form topped with sloped shed roofs that face multiple directions. Historian Virginia McAlester summed the look up in A Field Guide to American Houses: “The effect is of colliding geometric shapes.”

The genius of the design was that it could be used for multi-family homes as well as high-end residential projects. You can still find shed modern homes today, but not like this one.

Frank R. Rinehart was the original architect. He completed the home in 1980 for an intensely private woman that wanted a contemporary home. She was determined to find the right person for the job. Her research method was simple: She rang doorbells of homes she liked and inquired about the architect.

“She wanted privacy, security, and a lot of light,” Laura Ikel said. “She also wanted a home that did not scream ‘hello!’ to the street, and one that would allow her to host a party for 200.” Ikel and her husband Bob bought the house in 1997 from that determined original owner. They have spent the better part of the last 17 years remodeling and putting their stamp on it. Bob is an architect, so there was really no one better suited to take on the project.

“The house had magnificent bones, but it needed a lot of cosmetic work,” Laura said. “The compromises that had been made over the years were clear. We fixed all of them, large and small.”

Angles are important, as they carry though not only in the architecture but also outside to the deck. Bob used the golden ratio, and carried it throughout the interiors and exteriors of the house. To give you some insight, Le Corbusier and Salvador Dali proportioned their works to the golden ratio. It is supposed to be a ratio that creates the most aesthetically pleasing results. It certainly holds true throughout the 3,835-square-foot, three-bedroom, three-bathroom modern home. Even the carpet holds to the ratio. “It’s actually the biggest piece of art in the house,” Laura said.

There is amazing natural light in the home. Glass wraps around the courtyard, which is visible from every room in the house.

The kitchen was originally set up in a traditional manner, but the Ikels like to entertain.

“We wanted a party space,” Laura said. “I can’t keep people out of the kitchen, so they need to be part of it. So, Bob designed the backsplash area, paying homage to a Russian textile designer. He designed it then blew it up like a paint-by-number for the tile installer.”

The same structured slab flooring runs from the kitchen out to the deck. When you open the doors, it’s one big party room — exactly what the Ikels wanted.

 

“What I love the most is how I feel in this house,” Laura said. “I feel so elevated by the views and the natural light.”

The house lies on one of three narrow fingers of a private lake in the Windsor Park development. “All of it is navigable,” Laura said. “Many of our neighbors have boat docks, and they do happy hour on their boats.”

Get in touch with the Ikels today at their brokerage IC3 and get a tour of this $2.399 million shed modern home today. We cannot imagine a house this architecturally significant lasting long, and of course, with a floating happy hour outside the back door, it may only be on the market for a few more hours!

Karen Eubank is the owner of Eubank Staging and Design. She has been an award-winning professional home stager for more than 25 years. She’s been a professional writer for 20 years. Karen is the mother of a son who’s studying music at The University of Miami. An ardent animal lover, she doesn’t mind one bit if your fur baby jumps right into her lap. Find Karen at www.eubankstaging.com